I recently got a chained shiny Pokemon yesterday and a random shiny today, and I feared that my save file could randomly corrupt, and I could never get it back. I don't use cheat codes, but is it still possible that a saved game on Pokemon Platinum may randomly stop working?

5 Answers

By using it/treating it properly, no. But there are some causes for problems as always; but by avoiding the below you should not have a problem. Here are some reasons why a game could corrupt:

You are using a ROM or emulator. The games were not designed to be treated in ways of hacking or tweaking the game. These methods are the prime reason that a game would corrupt; any abnormal hacking or modding with the game can easily play with the settings, and if the wrong numbers are changed, this could easily lead to a crash or save file corruption. If the game has corrupted, you will be notified the next time you start the game. Be warned, they can be from corrupting the last save or screwing the whole save file itself. Remember, anything that is not licensed by Nintendo is not to be used. These are pirated versions of the game and are generally known to be extremely buggy, so avoid using them.

Damage to the game card itself. This can be from any damage in general; dropping it which can damage the internal files, grubbiness which can cause the game to be read improperly... the possibilities are endless. In order to prevent crashing/corruption, avoid exposing it to excessive heat and keep it in a safe place out of harm's reach. Just treat it well in general and you will be fine.

Saving the game incorrectly. Though most of us wouldn't be silly enough to turn the power off/remove the game card when it says not to when we are saving, this is still a common cause of game file corruption. Remember to only power off when the game has completely finished saving. The slightest bit too early could easily ruin the game.

Hacking the game. This comes down to cheating devices such as Action Replay or GameShark, and can go as far as entering the game's internal files. Changing the wrong thing can easily lead to disater; and could potentially prevent you from using the save file ever again. This one was probably obvious, but since you are not using cheat codes, this should be of no worry to you.

You are using a secondhand game. I'm not saying this will guarantee an error, though sometimes games that people has previously owned/used can be problematic. You never know who has used the game and what they have done with it; so keep in mind there is a slight risk of it happening when using secondhand games.

That pretty much sums it up. Basically treating it abnormally, taking risks like hacking or using secondhand games are the only things you need to worry about. Treat it well and you should not have a problem. So to answer the question, not 'randomly', as you'd know what you have done to cause it.

Not unless you do something to screw it up on a heck of a scale like absolutely ditching the DS at the floor with the game in. As long as it's a store bought copy, or you're able to trace it back, then it shouldn't randomly corrupt. If it ever does corrupt, you'd know what you did.